ABSTRACT
In one of the first examinations of the term, Shils (1956: 100-1, my italics) observed that ‘populism exists wherever there is an ideology of popular resentment against the order imposed on society by a long established, differential ruling class which is believed to have a monopoly of power, property, breeding and fortune.’ Similarly Canovan (1981: 9, my italics) noted that populism should be understood as a ‘particular kind of political phenomenon where the tensions between the elite and the grass roots loom large.’ What they are saying, then, is that populism represents in various guises the moods, sentiments and voices of significant and distinct segments of the public: not public opinion in general, but instead those segments which feel that they have been ignored by governments, unlike more favoured but less deserving groups; those segments which feel they have been disenfranchised in some way or other by the trajectory of government policy which seems to benefit less worthy others but not them. It speaks specifically for this group who feel they have been ‘left out’ and is thus a reflection of their sense of alienation and dissatisfaction.
